Jeff Bell on Drugs

Decriminalizing pot will only produce more pot users

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Never legalize marijuana"?

A: Strongly support. Decriminalizing or legalizing pot will only produce more pot users. This would hurt our schools, our neighborhoods, our places of work, and families.
We must view narcotics as a moral threat to society because they risk harm not just for the user, but those around him.
In that light, it is extremely disappointing that the Obama Justice Department is effectively ignoring federal law by allowing two states, Colorado and Washington, to proceed in legalizing marijuana.
Congress must speak up for the defense of the federal prohibition on narcotics. Otherwise we risk a society that is further broken by drug use when drugs are freely available for abuse.

Opposes drug legalization and marijuana decriminalization

The mini-wave of state laws to encourage marijuana use and distribution is one of the stupider trends in recent American public policy. Decriminalizing or legalizing pot will produce many more pot users. This will hurt our schools, our neighborhoods, our
places of work, and families. We must view narcotics as an integral threat to society because they risk harm not just for the user, but those around him. In that light, it is extremely disappointing that the Obama Justice Department is ignoring federal
law by allowing two states, Colorado and Washington, to proceed in legalizing marijuana. Congress must insist on the enforcement of the federal prohibition on narcotics. Otherwise we risk a society that is further broken by drug use when drugs are
freely available for abuse.

Just like with marijuana, we should not relax our laws against cocaine. Cocaine is more potent and transferable in crack rather than powder form, which is why penalties for crack possession have always been harsher.